Iran, Islamic Rep.: International tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Iran, Islamic Rep.'s international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 45.7% on 2017 (from US$1.06 billion to US$576 million).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2017), the average change was +199.9% and a typical year strayed about 828.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3,900% in 2002 and the biggest yearly fall was 85.7% in 1998. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Iran, Islamic Rep. in the 2018 ranking

• Puerto Rico (US) — 2nd of 7: US$301 million
• Senegal — 3rd of 7: US$153 million
• Mali — 4th of 7: US$76 million

What this measures

International tourism expenditures for passenger transport items are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries for all services provided during international transportation by nonresident carriers. Also included are passenger services performed within an economy by nonresident carriers. Excluded are passenger services provided to nonresidents by resident carriers within the resident economies; these are included in travel items. In addition to the services covered by passenger fares--including fares that are a part of package tours but excluding cruise fares, which are included in travel--passenger services include such items as charges for excess baggage, vehicles, or other personal accompanying effects and expenditures for food, drink, or other items for which passengers make expenditures while on board carriers. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 24 values

International tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — US$19 million (2020)
• Algeria — US$38 million (2020)
• Bahrain — US$917 million (2019)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$69 million (2020)
• Israel — US$371 million (2020)
• Jordan — US$27 million (2020)
• Kuwait — US$1.17 billion (2017)
• Lebanon — US$28 million (2020)

More private sector & trade data for Iran, Islamic Rep.

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 49.32% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$65.63 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$113.23 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) — 30.34% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 50.61% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 48.54% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South Asia (% of total merchandise imports) — 3.32% (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Iran, Islamic Rep.'s international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$)?

US$576 million in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1995?

It is up 9,500% from US$6 million in 1995 (21.95% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$1.06 billion in 2017 and the lowest US$2 million in 1998.

Is the latest change in international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) unusual for Iran, Islamic Rep.?

In 2018, Iran, Islamic Rep.'s international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 45.7% on 2017 (from US$1.06 billion to US$576 million). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2017), the average change was +199.9% and a typical year strayed about 828.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ST.INT.TRNX.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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